Hokkaido (Hokkaido)

Hokkaido is the northern island of Japan. Hokkaido is full of nature, including world natural heritage site Shiretoko Peninsula, having abundant wildlife of both plants and animals. It’s also famous for fresh seafood including crabs and sea urchins, with many domestic and international tourists visiting the area. In Winter, ski resorts such as Niseko and Furano are crowded by skiers from all over the world seeking powder snow.

Tohoku (Tohoku)

Tohoku region is located on the northern part of Honshu, surrounded by the sea on three sides. Tohoku is famous for beautiful coastlines such as Sanriku coast and Matsushima, and also for its fresh seafood. Hot spring of Tohoku have been health and healing sanitariums for decades, and the rustic hot springs are still very popular. The golden hall of Chusonji in Hiraizumi (a wealthy town 1000years ago) is a masterpiece.

Kanto (Kanto)

Kanto region has Japan’s capital city of Tokyo with a population of over 10 million. It’s surrounded by large cities such as Yokohama and is the most developed region within the country. It has a mix of modern commercial districts such as Shibuya and Roppongi as well as downtown areas of Asakusa. Historical structures of Nikko and spectacular scenery of Mt Fuji from Hakone provides a variety of places to be enjoyed by tourists.

Chubu (Chubu)

Chubu is located in the centre of Japan. A large part of this area is covered by mountains as high as 3000 meters and due to this mountainous landscape, it’s also called the “Japan Alps”. Jigokudani Onsen where the snow monkeys bath in hot springs, the historical streets of Kanazawa and Takayama are all part of the Chubu region.

Kansai (Kansai)

Kansai region includes Kyoto, the most popular tourist destination of Japan. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan, and its history and culture, temples and shrines, and traditional buildings attract both domestic and international tourists. The autumn colors of Kyoto are absolutely amazing. Osaka, the second largest city of Japan is also located in Kinki, and has become the entry point for foreign tourists into Japan alongside Tokyo.

Chugoku (Chugoku)

Chugoku region is located on the western part of Honshu. A popular tourist destination is Hiroshima. Hiroshima is famous for Itsukushima Shrine and floating Torii gates of Miyajima, as well as the A-bomb dome, Peace Park and Museum. One of the highest ranking shrines in Japan - Izumo Taisha, the picturesque town of Kurashiki, and the limestone cave of Akiyoshido are all part of Chugoku region.

Shikoku (Shikoku)

Shikoku consists of as four prefectures and is one of the four islands that make up Japan. Shikoku is famous for the Shimanami Kaido that allows bicycle access across islands of the Seto inlet, the whirl pools of Naruto and Kagawa’s famous shrine, Kotohiragu. In recent years, the pilgrim journey (Ohenro) around the 88 temples scattered across Shikoku has become a popular activity for international travelers.

Kyushu & Okinawa (Kyushu & Okinawa)

Kyushu region is the far west island and its surrounding islands including Okinawa. Kyushu has many places to visit including the largest city Fukuoka, one of the best hotsprings of Japan - Beppu Onsen, and the impressive black colored Kumamoto Castle. Okinawa has the blue sea and colorful coral reefs with a variety of marine life to enjoy.

Konchi-in Temple

Konchi-in Temple

Konchi-in is a subtemple of Nanzen-ji located in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. It was established sometime between the end of the 14th century and the 15th century by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimochi, and it is unclear whether it was established in Rakuhoku or Takagamine originally. It was moved in 1605 to its current location.
One of the major attractions here is the Japanese-style garden, the Tsurukame Garden ("Crane and Tortoise Garden"). This garden made by Enshu Kobori. Although he made many of these gardens, this is the only one remaining in the world that has been confirmed to have been made by him. The garden is a dry landscape garden that represents flowing water with stone and sand, and it is commonly known as a very stately garden created in the early Edo period (1603-1868). True to the garden's name, in the rockwork both a crane and a tortoise are expressed, standing opposite to one another in the garden. The crane is on the right, made of stones, and the tortoise is on the left, made of stones and juniper trees.
Additionally, there is a famous reservations-only tearoom called Hasso-no-seki. There are only 3 like it in Kyoto, and inside you can feel the fine attention to detail given to the room. You must reserve in advance by written postcard in order to see Hasso-no-seki.

Access

By the Kyoto Municipal Tozai Line, go to Keage Station (蹴上駅) and you can walk 10 minutes to the temple. This is highly recommended because the road from the station to the temple is full of Kyoto atmosphere. By car, you should take the Meishin Highway to Kyoto Higashi IC (京都東IC). There is a parking fee of 1000 yen for the first 2 hours, and then 500 yen for every hour after that.